7 Legendary Halloween Characters (and the Pumpkins to Match)

BACKSTORY: Endlessly seeking deals to strike, the horned and bearded Devil sneaks up to earth, where he lures unsuspecting humans over to the dark side. In his most infamous pact, the Devil grants a scholar named Faust boundless knowledge in exchange for his soul. 

FRONT AND CENTER: Display the Devil by himself on your doorstep -- this strong character shines even without a supporting cast. 

BACKSTORY: Witches in the Grimm fairy tales are certainly evil: locking Hansel in a cage, poisoning Snow White with an apple. But perhaps no witch is as iconically wicked as the one from the West: The Wizard of Oz’s witch set the standard for broom-clutching, green-skinned hideousness.

FRONT AND CENTER: Carved onto a ‘Long Island Cheese’ pumpkin, this graphic, skirt-trailing sorceress looks as if she’s perched to take flight from this stool.

BACKSTORY: In a Dutch fairy tale, tiny, sooty goblins creep into homes to disturb humans’ slumber. To stop these night terrors, the men of one town chase the creatures until daybreak. (Sunlight turns the imps to stone.) In Hans Christian Andersen’s stories, goblins are greedy squatters that desire delicacies.

FRONT AND CENTER: Stack these feisty little rascals along with mushroom-strewn pumpkins, so they appear to be taking a romp through the woods.

BACKSTORY: Ugly, scraggly-haired giants, the trolls of Scandinavian folklore lurk under bridges, awaiting passersby to eat. But never fear, even the most notorious troll -- the menace from “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” -- is easily outsmarted: Each goat convinces him to wait for something more delicious.

FRONT AND CENTER: A green hue is fitting for a troll. Look for Jarrahdale pumpkins or kabocha squashes at your local nursery.

BACKSTORY: Long before suave and beautiful vampires (like the charismatic Dracula) were brought to light by 19th-century horror novels, ancient civilizations were drawing bloodsucking spirits on pieces of pottery. Modern-day vampire-mania proves that the appeal is still very much alive.

FRONT AND CENTER: Keep this vampire locked up in your castle; in the evenings, set him in a window to cast an ominous glow over the neighborhood.

BACKSTORY: This reappearing figure in folklore is most memorable in Washington Irving’s rendition of the tale. A former Revolutionary War soldier, the specter stalks the battlefield where he died and searches for his lost head. Sleepy Hollow’s schoolteacher, Ichabod Crane, thinks he encounters the ghost (actually his rival, playing a prank), who hurls his “head” (a pumpkin) at Crane.

FRONT AND CENTER: Nod to Crane’s profession by placing the carving on a child-size school chair. A large, round pumpkin is the ideal canvas for this showstopper.

BACKSTORY: Chained to earth by tragedies in their lives, ghosts are the disgruntled souls of the departed. Ghosts that die tragically often return: In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the deceased king haunts his son, begging the prince to avenge his murder. 

FRONT AND CENTER: Don’t stop at one ghost-adorned white ‘Lumina’ pumpkin; let a pair haunt your house. After all, misery does love company.

All of the pumpkins were carved using the same basic technique. Etching with a linoleum cutter makes it easy to carve detailed designs -- and the finished gourds glow with an eerie orange light. If you plan to illuminate your carved pumpkin with a battery-powered votive, use a keyhole saw to cut a hole in the base of the gourd. If you’d prefer to use a candle, remove the top of the pumpkin so smoke can escape. 

Using a fleshing tool or a large metal spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp. Make the inner walls thinner by scraping some of the flesh; this will allow more light to shine through the carved design.

Print the template; tape it to the pumpkin. Using a sharp awl or a pushpin, poke holes at close intervals around the design. Remove the template. If desired, connect holes with a pen or grease pencil to define the outline.